Arsenal vs Wigan: New Date Confirmed – Good Or Bad For Gunners?

Arsenal have confirmed on Arsenal.com that the new date for our final home game of the season against Wigan Athletic has been re-arranged for Tuesday 14th May, kicking off at 7.45pm and will be shown live on Sky Sports.

The original fixture was due to be played on Saturday the 11th May but has had to be re-scheduled due to Wigan reaching the FA Cup final – which is to be held on the same weekend.

The big debate before the confirmation of the new date was whether the game would be played in the week running up to the FA Cup final or the week after. Now we know it will be held after, is this the best case scenario for Arsenal in our bid to finish in the top 3/4 this season?

Many fans felt that if the game was played before the Cup final, Wigan would be an easier prospect to overcome as the players would have one-eye on the final and there was also the strong possibility that Roberto Martinez would rest some of his first team.

However, there is also the notion that the game being played after could be beneficial as Wigan are considered heavy underdogs against Man City in the final and the likelihood is they will head into the game at the Emirates low on confidence after missing out on their chance of silverware.  Even in the unlikely event they end up winning the FA Cup, the Arsenal clash is only a couple of days later and the players would probably still be recovering from their post cup final celebrations!

Personally, I would have preferred the game to be played before the Cup final, mainly because  all of our top-four rivals will be playing on the weekend and will have a chance to secure valuable points before us, but lets be honest, this is Wigan at home we’re talking about so it really shouldn’t matter too much when the game is played. If we want to finish third we should be beating the like of Wigan at the Emirates regardless of when it’s played.

What do you think? Would you have preferred the game to be played before the cup final or after? Get involved in the comments section below.